Driving Out Drive-Ups

Drive-up windows are a convenience for fast-food establishments, but in Milton, Massachusetts, officials say they are a downright annoyance. In February, the city council adopted a zoning bylaw prohibiting restaurants from building drive-ups. The new ordinance "will prevent what we view as undesirable development and the associated traffic impact," says David Owen, Milton's town administrator. "The last thing we need is something that's going to cause queues of cars backing up into the street in an already congested area."

Milton, which is seven miles from Boston, is not the first city to take a stance against drive-ups. The town of Marion, Massachusetts, voted for a ban in 1997. Now, other towns around the state are weighing similar prohibitions.

The problem is coming to a head in smaller towns because many businesses that rely on drive-up windows, such as Dunkin Donuts, have begun developing sites in places that can't accommodate a large volume of traffic. Stephen C. Smith, executive director of the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District, says this problem is compounded in older cities with narrower streets, especially in the winter when mounds of snow restrict maneuverability.

Congestion is not the only issue. Nearby residents of drive-ups complain about car headlights and noise late into the night. For communities thinking about building bigger parking lots or introducing new bylaws, Smith suggests there's a simpler alternative: "The real solution is for people to get out of their cars and walk in to the restaurant and burn off some of those calories they're about to consume."